BBJ is proud to announce it was recently awarded the Green Business Award for 2015 by the village of Niles. BBJ is committed to sustainability and achieve eco-friendly business practices through multiple strategies. Here are some of our strategies for reducing environmental impact:
Waste Reduction and Recycling
We use repurposed fabrics and recycle some linen. Some tablecloths are cut down to make new sizes or to create reusable totes for shopping, which prevents the use of plastic bags. In addition, we stock linens that are made from recycled plastic bottles.
We also provide return duffel bags for each order. The return duffel bags are intended to cut down on cardboard boxes and plastic bags, and they can be circulated for years. All the plastic bags we use are biodegradable within six months and reusable, reducing landfill load. We also utilize recycled and recyclable cardboard boxes and hangers.
Water Conservation
BBJ Linen has invested in a new laundry machine that only uses 0.8 gallons of water per pound of laundry. Traditional machines use 3.5 gallons per pound, so this is a substantial decrease.
Plus, we can reuse hot water and filter cold water through the process before placing it back in nature.
Energy Conservation
In addition to the water-saving laundry machine, we converted our water heating to steam that utilizes no additional energy. The returned condensed steam process can heat to a temperature of up to 170 degrees without gas or electricity.
BBJ Linen also changed 80,000 square feet of lights to low energy, high efficiency light bulbs. In addition, we put in motion-sensitive timers. If there aren’t any motions in a workspace for 10 minutes, the lights will shut off, to prevent electricity from being wasted.
A new HVAC system in our facility also cuts down on electrical usage to cut down on energy usage and more closely moderate temperature. Internal temperatures are kept at just above freezing during times when no one is in the facility to avoid electricity waste.
Transportation
Because linen rentals can be a transportation-heavy business, it’s important to reduce ecological impact for shipments. BBJ Linen purchased a fleet of 13 new trucks that have filtered diesel exhaust systems to release clean air.
BBJ is constantly working to make our business more sustainable in every way possible. From reusing linens and shipping materials to more efficient, we will continue to seek new ways to make our business greener.
{{cta(‘392cc8dc-4018-4a0f-9247-3b3f2948b445’)}}